B'ham & Solihull Bees
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Sun 08 May 2016
North Mids Cup Final Newport (Salop)
20
20
Birmingham & Solihull RFC
B'ham & Solihull Bees

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Keith Scott28 Mar - 22:11
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North Midlands Cup Final Preview

An overdue tonic for the troops?

A long and, at times, eventful season for the Bees finally draws to an end this Sunday (8th May) with an appearance in the North Midlands Cup Final against Newport (Salop).

The Bees have reached the final thanks to wins in two very close games – eventually beating Bromsgrove 32-37 in extra time at Finstall Park back in October and, more recently, edging out Old Halesonians 13-12 in a thriller at Portway a fortnight ago.

Birmingham & Solihull have not featured in the regional cup competition for many a season, having plied their trade in tier four or above for a number of seasons. Relegation to National League 3 Midlands at the end of last season presented the chance to compete for some knock-out silverware this year – an opportunity that the club has seized with gusto.

The Bees’ league campaign this season has very much been a tale of two halves. A new Head of Rugby appointment in the closed season was designed to kick start a renaissance on the field, after the club found itself in English Rugby’s tier 5 for the first time in recent history. Although retaining the majority of the squad from the previous season, the NL3M campaign started badly with a home defeat against newly promoted Syston. Indeed it was to be the fourth game before the Bees recorded their first win of the season.

By the time they were beaten by Hinckley on the 9th January for the second time, the club had managed just four wins from their first 15 league games – relegation form from a side who many had perhaps tipped to be promotion contenders.

A parting of the ways with Head of Rugby Ian Matthews saw two coaches from ‘way back’, Paul Williams and Dave Spencer, being parachuted in on an interim basis. The turnaround in the Bees’ fortunes since the arrival of ‘Willy & Spanner’ was been nothing short of remarkable.

The team went on to win nine out of their remaining eleven fixtures, picking up losing bonus points in the two games that they were defeated in. This included a narrow 17-16 defeat up at eventual league champions Scunthorpe. Such has been the ‘alchemy’ of the Gloucestershire duo that this has been achieved with the same group of players, with just one addition to the squad since their arrival.

The Bees pack have been a force to be reckoned with all season, led from the engine room by skipper Chris Goddard. Goddard, along with Supporter’s Player of the Year Matt Spink, Ashley Scriven, Darren Forder, Dan Toth and Pete Koziot have all notched up over 20 appearances, with Matt Tibbatts and Zane Raimondi also influential since joining mid-campaign.

It has been an injury-plagued season for the backs, losing centres Steve Johns and Wayne Child earlier on. Jack Jolly (mostly at 9), top scoring fly half Mitch McGahan, centres Jimmy Oliver and Mikey Whettell have all been regulars, with Alex O’Malley, Nyle Beckett, Arron Wilson, Chris Fensome and Sam Davenport maintaining healthy competition for the 11, 14 and No.15 shirts.

Turning to the Bees’ North Midlands Cup final opponents, both sides were victorious in their respective away fixtures when they met in the league during the 2015/16 season.

Newport came out 31-34 winners in a tight game at Portway in early October in Round 6. The Bees had led 23-12 at half time thanks to tries from Wayne Child, Matt Spink and Rob Deli. However, touch-downs by Sam Foskell along with wingers Henry Vaka and Josh Evans – both of whom bagged a brace – took the five points back to Newport, despite a last minute losing bonus point try from Nyle Beckett.

The trip to Shropshire at the end of January for the return fixture was an altogether happier affair for the Bees. Eventually winning 5-18, all the points came in the second half as both sides tried to manage the breeze and slope at a chilly but homely Forton Road Ground.

Bees’ fly half Mitch McGahan personal tally of 13 points included a drop goal, a penalty, a try and a conversion but it was the industry of his forwards which was to be the telling factor in the encounter. A late try by replacement flanker Mike Stephens put the game finally to bed, with Newport down to 14 men after scrum half Paterson had been shown a red card.

As a result of their second half of the season revival, the Bees finished their league campaign in a creditable seventh position on 66 points, although die-hard supporters could be forgiven for thinking about the “what ifs” had that kind of form had begun in September.

Speaking ahead of next week’s cup final, Dave ‘Spanner’ Spencer said, “It has been a brilliant recovery from the lads to haul themselves from the foot of the table to seventh in the second half of the season and of course also to reach a cup final.”

“Performance has improved considerably in this period, understanding of how, where and what type of rugby to play on the field has developed strongly and how to close a tight game down and win the points is now being achieved week after week.”

“It is fantastic to have had all the support from everyone in the Bees family and Paul and I have had enormous fun and we both sincerely hope we are stepping down at the right time with the team in a really good shape. We are still going to be here at the club next season and will give as much support as possible to the players and the new coaches throughout the new season's campaign.”

“We must all have a few, very important goals here throughout the whole club for next season – that is hard work, success and enjoyment.”

Paul “Willy” Williams added, “it has been a long race for the Bees this year - slow out of the stalls and back markers early on, a change of jockeys at the turn, then we made great strides and came up through the field. The winning post is now in sight and we have no intention of doing a Devon Loch!”

At a club where disappointment has been a more regular imposter than triumph in recent years, North Midlands Cup success would most definitely be an overdue tonic for the troops – both on and off the field.

The North Midlands Cup Final between Birmingham & Solihull and Newport (Salop) takes place on Sunday May 8th at Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club, KO 3.30pm. A Bees’ Supporters coach is available (please contact Tina Lupoli).

Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club

Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club

Swindon Road
Kingswinford
Staffordshire
DY6 0AW

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Match details

Match date

Sun 08 May 2016

Kickoff

15:30
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Club Partner - The Window Centre
Club Partner - Oakland International
Club Partner & Kit Sponsor - Prime Accountants Group
Kit Sponsor - Traffix
Club Partner - Purity Brewing Company
Associate Sponsor - Cameron Legal
Official Travel Partner - Johnsons Coaches
Club Partner - Midhire
Shirt Sponsor - Monsoon Restaurant & Takeaway
Club Sponsor - Hayfield